Sunday, December 24, 2006

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- Acclaimed South Korean director Park Chan-wook's new movie will be pulled from most local screens before the lucrative Christmas holiday due to disappointing box office results in its first two weeks, its distributor said Thursday.

The romantic comedy "I'm a Cyborg But That's Okay" has so far drawn only 780,000 viewers, a marked disappointment for the internationally-renowned director whose previous works topped well over 3 million. The film will be removed from about 280 screens nationwide and on most screens will be replaced by "The Restless," a martial arts epic set to be released this evening, CJ Entertainment said.

"Cyborg" had drawn international attention with the combination of a director who received the Grand Prize at Cannes in 2004 with "Old Boy" and Asian heartthrob Rain as its lead."Usually, when we have an audience rating like this so far, it certainly won't pass one million," CJ Entertainment publicist Kim Yun-jeong said. "And there are many new movies being released this week."

CJ distributes both "Cyborg" and "The Restless."Park himself said the film was the "kindest" movie he has ever produced, with the star casting and simple plot. Set in a psychiatric ward, it tells the story of two patients -- a girl who believes she is a cyborg and a boy who falls in love with her. Critics praised his experimental storytelling and stylish presentation, but audiences considered it too abstract and unapproachable to follow. In light of Park's fame, "Cyborg" topped box office charts for the first weekend, but it was now not even among the top 10 on Internet reservation sites. Hollywood blockbuster "Night at the Museum" led the box office chart, followed by "Holiday" and Korean epic "The Restless" according to Interpark.com.hkim@yna.co.kr(END)source yonhap news

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

The fantasy blockbuster “The Restless” will be shown in as many as 450 theaters across the nation on Friday. CJ Entertainment, the film’s distributor, said Wednesday that the exact number of theaters has yet to be decided, but it has secured some 400 theaters now, with the possibility of reaching 450.

CJ Entertainment is trying its best to secure as many theaters as possible so that it can attract more viewers not only because it is a major investor in the film but also because it must compete with its rival distributor Showbox, which has already released “200 Pound Beauty” and will release “My Wife is a Gangster 3” on Dec. 28.

In addition, the distributor expects the number of theaters will increase to some 500 after the first week of its release considering the movie’s relatively short running time of 105 minutes and viewers’ high expectations for the movie.

“200 Pound Beauty,” which topped the box office for the first week after its release on Dec. 14, is being shown in 480 theaters and “My Wife is a Gangster 3” is expected to be released in some 500 theaters. On addition, Hollywood blockbusters such as “007 Casino Royal” and “Night at the Museum” are waiting to be released in 300-400 theaters, making the competition to secure theaters even fiercer.

In terms of the number of theaters screened, “The Host” ranked first with 620, followed by “The Typhoon” with 540 and “Our Happy Time” with 520. “The War of Flower,” which garnered the most viewers in the second half of the year, was released in 410 theaters, but the number increased to 580 theaters thereafter.source: kbs grobal

The Korean comic action film “My Wife is a Gangster 3” will be shown at theaters in Hong Kong next February.

The film’s producer Hyunjin Cinema said Tuesday that it has decided to release the film in Hong Kong right before Chinese New Year in February considering the high expectations for the film there. It had planned to release it as soon as in January, but concerns over illegal copying made it decide on February, it added.

“My Wife is a Gangster,” the first in the series released in 2001 in Korea, garnered some 5.3 million viewers locally, and topped the box offices of Asian nations including Hong Kong and Vietnam upon its overseas release in 2002. In Hong Kong particularly, it ranked fourth among all the movies released in 2002.

“Shu Qi and Lung Ti, who starred in the movie, are very curious because they have not seen the completed film yet,” Hyunjin Cinema president Lee Sun-yeol said. “They viewed the trailers when they came to Korea to promote the film and expressed satisfaction. They are now looking forward to the film’s release in Hong Kong.

” The third installment of the series has already attracted much attention from Asian nations such as Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam as well as Germany by being sold for a total of 660,000 US dollars (620 million won) at the American Film Market held in L.A. in early November.

The producer said that because the series has high brand recognition in Asian nations and Shu Qi is popular in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia (her birthplace), it expects that the third installment will also become successful in those countries.

“My Wife is a Gangster 3” deals with events involving Aryeong (Shu Qi), the daughter of the most powerful mafia boss in Hong Kong who escapes to Korea due to a power struggle, and a group from the Korean gangster organization Dongbangpa, who try to protect her.source:kbs grobal

Friday, December 15, 2006

The Korean film “Like a Virgin” directed by Lee Hae-young was officially invited to the Generation Section of the 57th Berlin International Film Festival, according to the film’s production company on Thursday.

“Like a Virgin” was invited to the prestigious festival because of its appeal to teen moviegoers, who compose the jury for the Generation Section, as well as its unique subject matter and solid plot. The film selected in the Generation Section will receive the Crystal Bear Prize.Released in August, “Like a Virgin” is about a chubby high school boy who decides to compete in traditional Korean wrestling to earn money for a transgender operation.

Slated to open on February 8th of next year, the 57th Berlin International Film Festival will see a host of other Korean films, such as director Lee Yoon-ki’s “Ad Lib Night” for the Young Forum section and Hong Sang-soo’s “Woman on the Beach” and Lee Jae-yong’s “Dasepo Naughty Girl” for the Panorama section.

A Korean film has been exported to Egypt for 10,000 dollars for the first time in Korea’s film history. Egyptian film distributor Good News Group held a preview of “Duelist” directed by Lee Myung-se in the country’s capital of Cairo on Wednesday, with some 100 invited film reporters attending. “Duelist” is the first Korean movie to be sold to an Egyptian film distributor for commercial viewing, although some Korean movies have been introduced to the Cairo International Film Festival.

The distributor will show the movie in four theaters in Cairo for two weeks from Thursday. An executive at the company expressed his confidence in the movie’s success there. “I think the movie will capture Egyptians’ interest with its spectacular martial arts performances,” he said. The Egyptian daily Al-Gomhuria said that the country has shown interest in Korean dramas and movies since the Korean hit drama “Winter Sonata” was aired on its national TV. Meanwhile, the Korean Embassy in Egypt used the preview to promote Korea by distributing its promotional booklet entitled “Dynamic Korea.” It also played a videotape introducing the city of Pyeongchang as a candidate city for the 2014 Winter Olympics.source:kbs grobal

Actor Jang Dong-gun and actress Han Ga-in have earned the most votes in a recent popularity survey. Rain and Lee Hyo-lee topped the singers' list and Yoo Jae-suk and Cho Hye-lyun took the comedian vote.

The results come from a September survey conducted by a marketing research firm on 1,400 Korean men and women in five major cities.

Among actors, Jang, with 23 percent of the votes, again ranked atop the poll as he did in the year's first half. Trailing behind was Ahn Seong-gi (9.5%), Song Il-guk (8.9%), Lee Joon-ki (5.3%) and Han Seok-gyu (5.2%). Kwon Sang-woo, Kang Dong-won, Bae Yong-jun, Choi Soo-jong and Won Bin rounded out the top ten.

In the actress category, Han Ga-in led the group with 9.5 percent followed by Kim Tae-hee (8%), Lee Young-ae (7.9%), Kim Hye-soo (7.0%), Song Hye-kyo and Jeon Ji-hyeon with a tie, Lee Na-young, Lee Mi-yeon, Han Hye-jin and Jeon Do-yeon.

The most popular sportsman was soccer player Park Ji-sung with a whopping 45 percent. Overseas-based players were the next most popular. Slugger Lee Seung-yeop (25.7%), pitcher Park Chan-ho (14.3%) and soccer stars Lee Young-pyo (12.8%) and Seol Ki-hyeon (12.2%) followed.

Among female athletes, golfer Park Seri was number with close to 60 percent of the votes. Golfers Michelle Wie (32%) and Kim Mi-hyun (29%) were next. They were followed by Park Chan-sook (6.6%), Hyun Jung-hwa (5.6%), Janet Lee (3.5%) and Jang Jeong (2.9%).source:kbs grobal

Monday, December 11, 2006

Singer Rain is likely to make his name known to the world once again, but not as singer this time but rather as an actor.

A source from CJ Entertainment, the distributor of the film “I’m a Cyborg but That’s OK” starring Rain and Lim Soo-jung, said Friday that they plan to submit the film to an international film festival. “Given the time, it will likely be the Cannes International Festival to be held in May of next year,” he added.

A film about a romance taking place at a mental hospital, “I’m a Cyborg but That’s OK” is director Park Chan-wook's latest work after his vengeance trilogy--“Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance,” “Old Boy,” and “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance.”

There is a high possibility that the film will be invited to the competition category of the French film festival because the director has established quite a reputation in the global film world and because the film itself presents a different view of the world with unique cinematography. Park received the Grand Prix Du Jury with his “Old Boy” at the Cannes in 2004.

If it is invited, the movie will provide Rain with an opportunity to attend the world’s leading film festival and be in the spotlight of the world media. As singer, he held a concert in New York amid much attention from the U.S. media early this year and was chosen one of the world’s 100 most influential people by the U.S. magazine Time.source:kbs grobal

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Starring:Kim Rae WonKimHae-sook Heo In-jaeRelease Date: November 23, 2006Synopsis:Tae-shik wants nothing more than to forget about his checkered past and live the rest of his life quietly and at peace with the world. However, the world is not quite yet ready to let him do that. Tae-shik is played by Kim Rae-won (Mr Socrates, My Little Bride) and he is joined in the cast by veteran actress Kim Hae-sook (The Ghost, My Brother) and Heo In-jae (A Dirty Carnival). Writing and directing the film is Kang Seok-beom who also wrote and directed Mr Handy. His writing credits also included last year's financial success My Boss My Teacher. This Eye Vision Entertainment action-drama will be ready to hit the theaters via Showbox on NovemberCREDITS TO: kfccinema & koreanfilm.orgsource:asianfanatics forum

By Kim HyunSEOUL, Dec. 6 (Yonhap) -- Rain may be taking a gamble playing a psychiatric patient for his big-screen debut, but the Korean singer-actor, currently on a world tour, is steadily reinventing himself as he prepares to flood the world stage.

"This will be a new image of me," he told Yonhap News Agency at a downtown cafe in Seoul."If I had to pick one, the image of me in the movie is closer to who I really am than the Rain you see on the singing stage."Rain will debut in "I'm a Cyborg, But That's Okay," directed by Park Chan-wook and set for local release on Thursday.

In light of Park's success with "Old Boy," which picked up the Grand Prix at Cannes two years ago, the movie is almost certain to get a worldwide release, something Rain hopes will raise his standing in global terms."Now I feel that I have taken the first step," he said. "To me, the issue was that the director was Park Chan-wook. He was the director I liked as a fan, and with whom so many actors wanted to work.

I thought there would definitely be things he could teach me (as an actor)."Ranked among Time's 100 most influential figures this year, Rain has been a superstar in Asia with four albums and three hit TV dramas under his belt, but his star quality hasn't translated into global appeal.

The post-filming presentation of "My Wife is a Gangster 3" (directed by Jo Jin-gyu, produced by Hyunjin Cinema) was held in Seoul Wednesday. The third in a series of Korean comic action movies stars sexy Hong Kong actress Shu Qi as the female lead.Hong Kong actor Ti Lung, who graced the late '80s Chinese noir films including the "True Colors of the Heroes," also made a special apperance in the film.

Shu Qi clinched the heroine role this time following Korean actress Shin Eun-kyung. She will show off daring action stunts while playing Aryung, an heiress to Hong Kong's number one gang. Ti Lung plays her father, the gang boss.

The story begins when Aryung takes refuge in Korea from a gang spat in Hong Kong and receives the protection of Korean gangster Gichul played by Lee Bum-soo.To communicate with Aryung, Gichul hires Chinese Korean interpreter Yunhee played by comical actress Hyeon Yeong. Hilarious misinterpretation episodes comprise a large part of the comic flick.

Set to be released on December 28th, the film was sold to eight Asian countries at a total 660,000 dollars at last month's American Film Market.Director Jo and cast members Shu Qi, Lee Bum-soo, Ti Lung, Hyeon Yeong and Oh Ji-ho attended the Wednesday event.

Ti Lung said "thank you" in Korean and presented a martial arts demonstration saying he was pleased to attend such a noteworthy event. Well-known for his martial arts talent, the actor humbly said that he only learned bits and pieces while shooting films.source:kbs grobal

The film 'April Snow' starring Bae Yong-Joon and Son Ye-jin will be screened in Japan for the third time.

On Wednesday, the online edition of Japan's Nikkan Sports daily reported the decision to rerun the Korean melodrama starring heartthrob Bae, whom Japanese fans adore as "Yonsama."Since its September premiere, a director's cut of the movie was screened during the following two months, and that same version will be shown again this month. Three runs of the same film is considered highly unusual.

A director's cut is usually only found on a DVD release, which points to the Korean actor's runaway popularity in Japan.Bae on Tuesday thanked fans for their love and support, saying he's happy to meet them again through the movie and that he hopes April Snow will remain a pleasant memory.source:kbs grobal

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Release date: November 9, 2006Julian is known as a legendary womanizer in the his field. He allures women with all soft and seductive words only to take what he wants and desert them without a single hesitation.

One day he gets arrested when one of his "clients" commits suicide for her serious case of embezzlement and Julian's prime days seem forever lost.Tae-ho - a friend of Julian's - and Gwang-soo - a vicious creditor to Julian - are the only ones waiting for him at his release.

Gwang-soo, behind his friendly smile, has the guts to kill his debtors when they cannot pay him within due time and sell their bodily organs to make ends meet. Julian will be his next victim if he doesn't pay off his debt of 2.8 billion WON in a month.A lawyer phones desperate Julian one day, looking for a guy called Ryu Jin who, the lawyer says, are to inherit billions of WON. To clear his debt, Julian decides to visit the lawyer, pretending to be that long-lost heir.Julian's extemporaneous nature serves him well again this time.

The lawyer and the people concerned start to believe that Julian is the heir they are looking for. But his supposedly sister Ryu Min seems to be the last person to trust him and shows chilly attitude. Min, also being the heiress to the big fortune, is blind due to some disease she suffered when young. Julian plans to murder Min to steal the huge sum and Tae-ho stays with him to witness the approaching happy ending of his friend.

As Julian's acting goes on, Min's closed heart start to open while Julian's anxiety over his own safety intensifies. Gwang-soo, the creditor warns him, "No sympathies for you to spare. Don't forget this is only a fake show".One day, Julian tails after Min who goes out all by herself and tries to harm her. But realizing that the outing was all about buying him a birthday present, Julian's malicious intention begins to melt...Love Me Not is set for an 11-9-2006 Korean ReleaseCREDITS TO: kfccinema

Monday, December 04, 2006

Lim Soo-jung had to get her weight down to just 39 kg to shoot her latest film. The actress went through a punishing weight loss process to act as Young-gun, who believes herself to be a cyborg, in Park Chan-wook’s new korean movie, “I'm a Cyborg, but That's Okay.”“The hardest thing about shooting the film was having to make Lim starve,” the director confessed. Lim endured a few months of eating only raw sweet potato and pieces of apple. On top of that, on days when she did not have to go to the set, she went to a fitness center to work out. The movie is released on Dec. 7source:english.chosun.com

Lee Jun-ki, the co-star of Korea’s blockbuster “The King and the Clown,” will leave for Japan on Friday for the release of his film there.During his four-day visit to Japan, Lee will hold a number of interviews with the Japanese media.

His management agency said that Japanese fans are already excited about the film as well as the visit by Lee, who portrayed the role of the beautiful clown Gonggil.Lee already has a small but quite loyal following in Japan for his previous film “Hotel Venus.” Japan also plans to air a TV mini-series starring Lee entitled “My Girl.” He is expected to gain greater popularity in Japan through his film and TV appearances.

Lee is currently working on “First Snow,” a joint Korean-Japanese film.source:kbs grobal

Sunday, December 03, 2006

SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Yonhap) -- The delicately written melodrama "Solace" involves less sentimentality and music than its local predecessors in the genre, but the emotional reticence creates more space for the audience to chew over the plot, and thus makes the story more engaging.

The film, about a couple in their 30s who are too experienced and saddled with worries to fantasize about love, follows the rules of melodrama and may be overly sentimental at times, but in the end conveys a powerful catharsis that overcomes the predictability.Director Byun Seung-wook, who spent five years working on the movie's scenario, said he hoped to distance the story from being a predictable tear-jerking melodrama.

Within the love story framework lies the irresistible yoke of life, such as love, family and aging, which are also real-life issues for many in the audience, he said."I basically had a concern about how to make this melodrama, how to make it different from ones that we usually think of," Byun said after a press screening in a Seoul theater on Monday.

"I decided that that quality is formed at the scenario stage, so we tried to cut down on sentimental stuff as much as possible and tried to fill that space with an emotional one," he said.The first hook for the director's feature debut is its cast, Han Seok-gyu (as In-gu) and Kim Ji-soo (Hye-ran), but its emotional span is deepened with Lee Han-wi playing In-gu's mentally disabled brother.After his girlfriend leaves him because of the burden of having to care for the disabled brother, In-gu, a popular, humorous pharmacist, finds himself immune to new love.Hye-ran's life is no better.

A copycat designer who sells fake Chanel and Gucci in Seoul's crowded Dongdaemun shopping mall, she has inherited a large debt from her father and often has to endure police questioning and detention for her illegal business to get by.Their initial encounter and one-night stand don't do much to start their romance. It is rather the dismal, tough sides of their lives -- his brother and her debt-ridden status -- that build their emotional bonds and convince viewers.The story also involves sentimental elements that are typical in a melodrama, such as when In-gu's mother dies or Hye-ran clashes with her sister over her choice of marriage partner, but the predictable plot pays off for patient viewers at the end. The precious moment comes when In-gu listens to the heart of his brother, and the movie has an open-ended conclusion that stays true to real life.hkim@yna.co.kr(END)source:yonhapnews

By Kim HyunSEOUL, Dec. 2 (Yonhap)-- When director Park Chan-wook, who has earned critical fame for his prize-winning revenge films, said a year ago that his next film will be a romance comedy, many fans and critics wondered whether his new attempt would make the grade.

They were still in doubt and some even suspected he was trying to use star power to push his film when he cast singer Rain, who has become a pop icon and a heartthrob among Asian women, as hero of the film in January.

Shrugging off their suspicions, however, the flick, "I'm a Cyborg But That's Okay," shows his captivating charm with experimental storytelling and stylish shooting that come with bright humor and a message about life. The romantic comedy marks a glorious return for the director, who won the Grand Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival with "Old Boy" and the New Trend best film award in Venice last year with "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance."After a media preview on Friday, the 44-year-old South Korean director said he is satisfied with his latest work.

"I don't know about other directors, but I am much satisfied with the way my movie looks right after it is completed," Park said.

"That's probably because I want some compensation for the filmmaking process that is painful, laborious and challenging. I can say I'm quite satisfied about this one, too." Set in a mental hospital, "Cyborg" follows two young quixotic patients who dwell in their own worlds -- Yeong-gun (Lim Soo-jung) who believes she is a cyborg and Il-sun (Jeong Ji-hun, Rain's real name) who lives in fear of perishing from life. Their separate worlds start colliding when Il-sun gets to hear Yeong-gun's secret dialogue with machines.

Yeong-gun refuses to eat as a cyborg. Il-sun, a former electricity clerk, devices a machine that transforms food into electric energy so that the cyborg can have meals and live.

Defying the traditional frame of the kind where a doctor is the savior of a patient, "Cyborg" delves into the world of the patients and shows how they can save each other. The key is empathy."If he was a doctor or a normal person he would try to cure her illness. So his goal would be removing her illusion as being a cyborg. But Il-sun enters Yeong-gun's fantasy, which means he accepts her irreparable condition as it is. His love is to accept her condition and also do work to make her live," he said.

Their unlikely romance is so captivating that one can hear other audience members hold their breath at some points like when Il-sun plants the energy device into Yeong-gun's back or when he finally gets her to swallow a spoonful of rice. The emotional moments always follow with bright humor, such as Il-sun's comment meant to assure her that "After service is guaranteed for lifetime.

"The love story also shows animosity towards the power people, such as doctors or judges, like his previous works. Yeong-gun identifies herself with her schizophrenic grandmother rather than her pretentious mother. To revenge for her ill-treated grandmother, the girl air-strafes and guns down the "white men" in her illusion.Despite her quirky behavior, one comes to nod and identify with her when she asks a question that is relevant to every human being: "I still don't know. What use I'm for.

Why was I made?"With his acclaimed revenge trilogy -- "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," "Old Boy" and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" under his belt, Park said he wanted his first romance, or seventh feature, will be a low-budget, experimental one. Shot with the new generation of high-definition digital camera and made with 3 billion won (US$3 million), excluding marketing costs, the "Cyborg" presents lots of fantasy scenes, but is still easy to follow.The casting of Rain somewhat changed his direction, he said."I thought this as an in-between film (before the next project "Bat").

Not that I intended to make it fast and rough but make it more experimental. It would cost less and I would have less burden for its commerciality, which is rarely possible in usual cases. I wanted it to be very bold and experimental, even though the majority of the audience may not understand. But that idea was thrown out in the beginning, because Jeong Ji-hun was cast," he said with a smile."I'm a Cyborg But That's Okay" is to be released nationwide on Dec. 7.hkim@yna.co.kr(END)source yonhapnews